The big squeeze: Why four in ten women buy shoes even when they don't fit

Suffer in silence: Women like Victoria Beckham will endure pain for the sake of a high heel

They might make you as fashionable as Victoria Beckham. But if a pair of desirable shoes doesn't quite fit, what's a girl to do?

According to four in ten women, the answer is to buy them anyway.

Research found that 37 per cent of female shoppers were willing to put up with uncomfortable shoes if they were in fashion.

Nor is the problem only confined to women.

Seventeen per cent of men also admitted buying shoes in the wrong size.

Perhaps not coincidentally, the poll of more than 2,000 adults also found 80 per cent of women suffer foot problems such as cracked heels, bunions, corns and ingrowing nails.

Yet four out of ten with a foot problem have never sought medical advice, according to the survey by the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists.

Lorraine Jones, from the society, said: 'Many of us find it hard to resist a bargain and the latest fashion must-have, but it's important to remember that by buying ill-fitting shoes, you're not only going to end up in discomfort, but you are also putting your health at risk.

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'What is particularly worrying is that this is just the number of people who are aware that they are buying ill-fitting shoes; many people are wearing the wrong sized shoes on a daily basis without even realising it.'

She added: 'That's not to say we shouldn't wear fashionable shoes or high heels, but it does mean that we should give our feet a break and see an expert if there is something wrong.'